Ukraine visit understandable, but Boris Johnson will have to face the North eventually - The Yorkshrie Post says

At the last minute, the Prime Minister cancelled an appointment to appear at the first conference of the Northern Research Group (NRG) of Tory MPs in Doncaster, to instead visit Ukraine (and understandably so).

He was due to speak at the event after visiting Wakefield, as part of campaigning for the by-election in the city on June 23.

Surely he will still want to visit Yorkshire at a later date, given that so much affecting his premiership is happening here. If lost, the upcoming tandem by-elections (including the one in Wakefield), could further imperil his loose grip on power after 40 per cent of his MPs declared they have no confidence in his leadership following ‘Partygate’.

Levelling up just so happened to be the theme of yesterday’s conference. He will at some point need to answer for a catalogue of disappointments which includes the scaling-back of HS2.

What better place for him to have done it than in Doncaster, which has just received city status?

Despite the no-show, Mr Johnson would do well to pick up a copy of The Yorkshire Post tomorrow in any case, and note the words of Rotherham-born former Conservative Cabinet member, Justine Greening, who writes: “Which party has the most compelling, credible offer on levelling up will decide the outcome of the next General Election.”

There were understandable reasons for the PM’s cancellation, but he will have to face the North sooner or later.